Getting Social on the Street

When I think of DIY, I think of HGTV or crafting, not a social movement to promote social sustainability in the urban setting. However, DIY Urbanism is just that. My class had the pleasure of hearing about this concept from two individuals: Rik Adamski and Debby Stein. Rik took us through the basics of the concept and showed some entertaining example of it.  One of the examples he told was of individuals feeding a parking meter and filling the parking space with something other than a car. For example, a pin-pong table or yoga mats.  This movement is called "parklets." Below is a parking spot turned sitting/ eating area for people (picture from blog on DIY Urbanism).

Debby Stein used “Build a better block” when deciding how to revamp the Riverside area in Northeast Fort Worth.  According to its web site, “The "Better Block" project is a demonstration tool that revisions an area to show the potential to create a great walkable, vibrant neighborhood center. The project acts as a living charrette so that communities can actively engage in the "complete streets" build-out process and develop pop-up businesses to show the potential for revitalized economic activity in an area. Better Blocks are now being performed throughout the country, and have helped cities rapidly implement infrastructure and policy changes.”

Above is a video from the founder of Build of a Better Block talking about projects done in nearby Dallas.  Like the original, Debbie got local businesses involved. These businesses got excited about beautifying their neighborhood and got other people involved.  Debby stressed that so money was raised, but mostly the community got involved and did the majority of the work.  The Riverside Arts District is the result of their effort. Quant shops and art galleries have gone up.  The community has unified together to make their neighborhood a destination for artists and creative thinkers.

I have lived in Fort Worth for about three years and I have never been to this part of town. After hearing Debby speak about Riverside, I told my husband about. We are planning on driving out there over the weekend to check it out. Community is really important to me. I love the idea of the community taking on the role of keeping up with the neighborhood instead of leaving it for the government to do.  When communities come together, it creates a sense of purpose and pride in the place you call home.

REFERENCES

http://betterblock.org/about/

Riverside Arst District Facebook Page

http://urbantimes.co/2012/05/cnu20-report-diy-urbanism/